**Uncertainty Looms**

"Hello?" Ashley said, trying to sound cheerful despite the turmoil brewing inside her. There was a pause on the other end of the line before Jordan's deep voice spoke up. "Hey, Ash. How's it going?" Ashley hesitated, unsure of how much to reveal. She didn't want to give away her secret just yet, not over the phone. "It's going," she replied, attempting to sound casual. "Just busy with work and stuff." Jordan chuckled. "I can imagine. You were always a hard worker. So, I was thinking, I was wondering if you'd like to grab coffee or something sometime?" Ashley's heart skipped a beat. She hadn't expected this. She had assumed that after what happened between them, he would leave her alone. But now, as she thought about it, she realized that he didn't even know about the pregnancy. "I don't know, Jordan," Ashley said, stalling for time. "I'm pretty busy right now." "Come on, Ash," Jordan persisted. "It'll be good to catch up. We haven't talked in a while." Ashley felt a pang of sadness. She had thought that she was over him, that she had moved on. But hearing his voice, she realized that she wasn't as over him as she thought. "Okay, fine," Ashley said finally, trying to sound nonchalant. "When were you thinking?" There was a pause on the other end of the line before Jordan replied, "How about tomorrow? I was thinking we could grab lunch or something." Ashley hesitated, unsure of what to do. She didn't want to see him, not yet. But at the same time, she knew that she had to tell him about the pregnancy eventually. "Tomorrow works," Ashley said finally, trying to sound casual. As they made plans to meet, Ashley couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. She knew that this conversation was just the beginning of a whole new chapter in her life, one that she wasn't sure she was ready for. The next day, Ashley met Jordan at a small café in town. He looked good, really good, and Ashley felt a pang of attraction that she quickly suppressed. She wasn't here to rekindle anything with him, she reminded herself. She was here to tell him about the pregnancy. As they sat down at a table, Jordan smiled at her, and Ashley felt her heart flutter. She took a deep breath and launched into small talk, trying to act like everything was normal. But as they chatted, Ashley couldn't shake off the feeling that she was living a lie. And she knew that it was only a matter of time before the truth came out.